The Marshall's Daughter
by bacarditoo
Summary: A young girl is given a second chance in life, she thanks her guardian by following in his footsteps by joining the R.A.F. she will later find herself working side by side with the Tok'Ra and getting very close to Malek.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** The Marshall's Daughter  
**Pairing:** Not Yet Working on it though  
**Rating:** K+ Romance/Drama  
**Beta:  
Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the characters of Stargate ( only the one's that I have invented, they're mine ), Stargate is owned by MGM and any other corporation involved in the project.  
**Archive:  
Notes:** Feed Back is always welcomed so please tell me what you think.  
**Summery:** A young girl goes completely off of the rails and is given a second chance by the Marshall of the Royal Air Force. Year's later she joins the R.A.F. And is offered her own command and the chance to live and work with the Tok'Ra in an international exchange programme. I'm starting this off as a K+ as some words parents might not agree with, we'll see how the story progresses but it could very well be upgraded again in the future.

**The Marshall's Daughter**

Malek, Delek and Selmak are the main Tok'Ra in this story along with a few new characters that I've decided to throw in for good measure.

A quick reference

The Marshal of the Royal Air Force, Now I'm not certain but that should be the equivalent to a General of the Air Force ( 5 Star )

Air Vice Marshal Should be the equivalent to a Major General ( 2 Star )

Group Captain Should be the equivalent to Colonel

Wing Commander Should be the equivalent to Lieutenant Colonel

Squadron Leader Should be the equivalent to Major

Flight Lieutenant Should be the equivalent to a Captain

And Flying Officer Should be the equivalent to First Lieutenant

**The Marshal's Daughter**

If there's one thing I've learned in my life it's how to take orders, all my life there has been rules, rules and more rules, do this and do that, it seems no matter what I did it was never good enough, you see, practically everyone in my family was or is Army so it was expected that I too would follow in many of my families footsteps and enlist also, my father had said, and I quote " It didn't do me any harm and what's good for me will be good for you too. "

To be honest with you life in the Army just didn't appeal to me one little bit and this as you can imagine did not go down well with my father, It was getting to the point that it wasn't going to matter how I felt I would follow orders whether I liked it or not, so I had rebelled in every way possible, I drank, I stayed out late and went joy riding on a regular basis, I was always a disappointment to my father so why not live up to my reputation ?

My life changed dramatically when I was the tender age of 10, I had a collection of what I considered friends who's ages were between 15 and 19 and this particular evening we had stolen a beautiful fire engine red Mercedes and went out joyriding as usual and as usual we had attracted the interest of the local police, they had tried to catch us in the act that in itself set in motion a chain of events that would change my life forever.

I remember that fateful night as if it were yesterday, it had been snowing for most of the week and as we turned a corner we hit a patch of black ice, lost control and veered over the road straight into the Marshal of the Royal Air Force's car. I awoke in hospital two weeks later with a string of injuries that would make evil Knievel proud to find the Marshal sitting by my bedside looking very worried, worried about me, " You gave us quite a scare young lady! " He had said to me.

" Yeah right " I had replied, no-one had ever cared about me, I had been more of a status symbol to my parents, being well to do they had employed a nanny who had been promptly dismissed because I had taken to calling her mother,

" Not all of us are heartless bastards young one " He had said slowly bringing me out of my trip down memory lane with his soothing voice with what I considered a bold statement. The man in front of me was not the type of man I would have placed in the Marshall of the Royal Air Force's shoes, he was gentle and caring but still, he was not one I would cross, He was well built but not too muscular, his hair was a beautiful silver and laughter lines framed his eyes, I remember laughing at him because he still wore a handlebar mustache that I thought had gone out of fashion in the 40's, but I do remember a very kind face looking over to me from my bedside.

" I've managed to get you made a ward of the court " He had told me, he had explained that I would not have a criminal record as long as I towed the line,

" Yet more Rules " I had sighed, but this seemed different somehow, I actually didn't mind.

I had affectionately taken to calling my new father Marshall and the two of us had become very close, for the first time in my life I knew what it was like to have someone care, and yes, I would go as far to say love me. The experts had said that I was some kind of genius and needed something a little more challenging (apparently I was bored with my life, huh, what would they know? ), so Marshall had employed a private tutor and had me schooled at home. I had whizzed through my schooling and had reached university level by the age of 15, this also I breezed through and by 18 I had enrolled in the R.A.F. training College much to my father's distain, the man hasn't spoken to me since, not that that was any big loss.

I completed my training in record time, Marshall was so proud of me, he had officially become my father in my eyes so I was on cloud nine with his praise, he was my family now, Marshall was the only one that ever believed in me, he loved me, and from the day of my passing out parade I had taken to calling him dad.

So there's my life in general, not pretty I know but I feel it needed to be told in order to, understand me, anyway this point in my life leads up to the next part of my story, many of the higher ups had been invited to America to learn of a Project that they had been running for years, no specifics had been given to us, but I understood it to be quite a big deal.

**Part I**

The whole Air Base had an atmosphere about it, ever since the top brass had returned from America they had been excited but worried also and that had put everyone on edge. There had been endless meeting's and countless arguments before Flight Lieutenant Edwards shouted over " Oi, boss wants you in his office yesterday "

It always amazed me how he was still service in the Air Force, a nice enough bloke but he had a tendency to be sarcastic to his commanding officer's, not in a bad way but truth be told many of the higher ups don't have a sense of humour, luckily for Richardson the Air Vice Marshall did, I actually liked the man

" Thank you Leftenant " I smiled, one thing that I had learned from my adopted father was that manners did not kill anyone and the fact that I was always polite to Edwards went a long way with him, he always went out of his way to help me if I needed it. One other thing that I had learned during my stay at this Air Base is that the Air Vice-Marshall did not like to be kept waiting so I excused myself from Edwards and went straight to my CO's office.

" Take a seat Wing Commander, I'll be with you in a minute " The Air Vice-Marshall ordered as I entered his office, I dutifully obeyed and sat in the chair opposite my Commanding Officer waiting patiently for him to finish his paperwork. " Right Taylor, we've recently become aware of a programme that the Americans are running and we have been invited to join in as it were, I would like you to put a team of 12 people together, two other Commanding Officers and the rest I'll leave up to you, Group Captain "

" Group Captain Sir ? "

" You'll be effectively in Command of three teams, a rank of Wing Commander does not suffice, be back in my office at 0900 hours tomorrow with your choices, Congratulations Group Captain Taylor "

" Thank you Sir " I had said and left the office in a daze, I was totally dumbstruck,

" The youngest ever Group Captain in this sector, Congrats Sir " I don't know what shocked me more, the fact that Edwards had been eavesdropping on his Commanding Officer, or the fact that he had just called me sir, but I decided to let it go for now.

I spent the next hour on the phone to my dad telling him about my promotion and verifying that he didn't pull any strings " No hun, you did this all on your own, I'm so proud of you " He gushed down the phone line causing me to blush a deep shade of crimson, I still didn't received complements well back then, well if someone keeps telling you your hopeless and stupid for long enough you actually start to believe it, it took years to de-programme my mind, but sometimes, well I tend to slip back to that not so nice place, working on it though.

I was up for most of the evening looking through confidential files for Individuals that were suited to the, I wanted to call it mission, but It's more of a posting I suppose, the way the Vice Marshall explained it was that we would quite literally be moving in with a group of alien beings called the Tok'Ra, he couldn't, or wouldn't explain to much stating that the base commander Malek wanted to brief us when we arrived, I didn't think it to strange, to be honest with you I would have done the same thing myself. What I had been told was that the Tok'Ra ( as I understand it ), are two beings that share the same body, the human host and a snake like symbiote that lives within the hosts body, this as you can imagine was a lot to get your head around, but actually having some scientific training I found the whole thing fascinating not frightening and I would go as far to say exciting.

I was like a child waiting for Christmas morning, my first real command and it wouldn't even be on the planet, I looked at the clock as i picked my last man for the job, 01:23, I sighed to myself as a wave of tiredness hit me and decided to get some sleep before my all important meeting with my CO.

* * *

I sat patiently in the seat as the Vice Marshall picked his way through the list of names I had supplied, I know I wouldn't have a problem with most, but the last name, well, let's just say I was expecting to put up a fight for that one " Edwards ? Are you sure about this Taylor ? " 

" Very sure Sir, Sir, he is a good officer!, a little brash at times, but, how do I word this ?, unique in his abilities? " That drew a short agreeable burst of laughter

" Quite, Quite " He said in a typical English plumb in mouth accent " Truth be told I actually like the pain in the ass, that's why I've kept him In, the trouble being is that mouth of his, the trouble that he has caused you would not believe " He sighed as he replayed certain events through his mind which actually did bring a smile to his still youthful face, " O.K. Group Captain, you have your team, go round them up, oh, and Edwards get your ass in this office this minute " I smile as a rather shocked and embarrassed Flight Lieutenant came through the door " I wasn't born yesterday young man, I know all when it comes to the Whole Sector, and that includes knowing who exactly has their ear firmly planted on my door, dismissed Group Captain, Now, Edwards... " I couldn't help but feel sorry for the Flight Lieutenant as the Vice Marshall started to read the riot act to him, but I needed him to be on his best behaviour, at least for now.

* * *

By the time I had gotten everyone together and by the time we had arrived at the briefing room the Vice Marshall and Edwards were already waiting for us, poor Edwards, he had a beaten down look on his face, the boss must have really laid the law down , " Take a seat people we need to get this all wrapped up today, now I'm going to hand you over to you new Group Captain " I thanked him for the introduction and proceeded to tell them what exactly they would be doing with the next 2-4 years of their lives, I told them about the giant gate that they would walk through and the alien race that they were going to be working and fighting side by side with and that they would effectively be moving in with them also, I was faced with a room full of people that looked like deer caught in the flare of a cars headlights as I finished the briefing, you could hear a pin drop 

" Is this some sort of joke Sir ? "

" No joke Squadron leader Browne, I'll understand if you want to sit this one out "

" No!, uh no Sir, It's just, well i thought you were pulling our legs Maam, I would really love to be in on this one ! " I had to stop myself from laughing, It's amazing the reaction that something like this causes, grown men and women suddenly change into little boys and girls again, brimming with excitement I decided to let them have their fun it would probably be awhile before they could lark about like this again.

" Hey Edwards, I always knew they'd probably get rid of you one day, but hey, they went one better and kicked you off of the planet " Flying Officer Davies laughed,

" That's enough Davies "

" It was just a joke Sir "

" You want to joke at the expense of others you can do it elsewhere!, I need a team that can work together, not rip each other apart. You people from what I understand will need to watch each others back on a daily basis, will you be able to do the Flight Officer ? "

" Yes Sir, Sorry Sir "

" I'm not the one you should be apologising to Flight Officer Davies "

" Sorry Edwards "

" Is that the correct way to address a superior officer Flight Officer Davies " I felt sorry for the young man as I ripped into him, but they all had to learn that I was their boss, not! Their friend.

" My apologies Flight Leftenant Edwards, I honestly didn't mean anything by it "

" Don't worry about it " Edwards smiled and later admitted that he was used to it, I remember telling him that no-one should be used to that sort of behaviour, It was as good as bullying in my book and I wasn't going to stand for it.

" O.K. people, you've got the rest of the day to tie up your loose ends, make up your stories and pack lightly, no un-necessary items just the usual requirements, we'll be flying out early in the morning so get some sleep, dismissed " The room emptied of everyone except the Vice Marshall

" A little hard on the boy weren't you ? "

" Edwards outranks him, he was being insubordinate."

" Perhaps, but he's barely out of his teens and he's excited, he'll need guidance" I suddenly saw my father as he gave me one of his many lectures, fear gripped my very soul, I could not and would not turn into him.

" I'll make it up to him, but he does need to learn the chain of command "

" Then teach him Group Captain, he is a book of blank pages there to be written upon, It is up to you whether the writing is beautiful calligraphy or an unledgable mess."

" I'll keep that in mind Sir " I smiled, then took my leave of him, I also needed to sort myself out for the trip ."

* * *

The flight was uneventful and relatively quick considering we had just flown half way across the world and we were met at the airfield by a greying Brigadier General that looked like he could give Edwards a run for his money, full of the devil that one I had thought at the time, next to him stood a weaselly looking man, very slight in stature and he wore a practiced smile that only a politician could perfect " Welcome to Colorado " The General smiled, friendly enough, unusual for one of the brass, the General had introduced himself as Brigadier General Jack O'Neill and his companion was Mr Richard Woolsey who worked for the international committee. 

We had congregated in a make shift mess hall while the cars were sent for and took the opportunity to introduce myself and my team before we started an hour drive to the SGC , once in the car Woolsey pulled a file out of his briefcase and offered it to me, I had leaned forward to take the file from him and was promptly intercepted by General O'Neill " Malek gets to debrief his new staff Woolsey, you know that! "

" My Superiors wish…"

" I know what your superiors wish and that's just tough, Malek's the one that's going to be working and living with these people, Not! Your superiors, they do not need to know anything about the workings of the Tok'Ra, you have a foothold in the workings of the SGC and nothing more is that clear! "

" Crystal " Woolsey seemed a little flustered, I didn't understand, if he didn't like what he was doing why didn't he just quit?, he was civilian and from what I understood and it wasn't until we had reached the SGC and saw the gate in action that I realised that I didn't think I could leave this behind now I knew about it either.

The gate sprung to life and I watched as the Tok'Ra walked down the metal ramp, they struck me as very proud, there was an arrogance about them that unsettled me a little, but I was willing to give them a chance. My team leaders and myself watched through the massive window as O'Neill walked over to what I assumed was Malek, he looked up at the window we were standing at and smiled, I smiled in return and actually relaxed a little at that point, A little while later and they were all walking through the door

" Malek this is Group Captain Taylor, Squadron Leader Emerson and Squadron Leader Hill, everyone this is Malek, Delek, and their guards Verasen and Soryon " we all said our greetings to one another then got down to business,

" What exactly have you been told about your mission ? " Delek asked me, I really didn't like this man and I don't know exactly why.

" Nothing really, just the basics about your species in general, no-one would elaborate though "

" Good " He replied " No disrespect intended to anyone, but I would rather have Malek explain things in detail " He continued, I had the feeling that there was more to this that met the eye but I let it slide, no doubt I would find out soon enough. " Is everyone ready to go ? " Delek asked through the same practiced smile that Woolsey had worn, I was really going to have to watch this one.

" We're ready when you are " I had replied, the words had come out of my mouth a bit colder than I had intended, but this man unsettled me a bit more than I was comfortable with.

" Then get your people together please, General, if you would dial Toran please " Delek had asked which surprised me a little, It seems I wasn't the only one that noticed,

"That was quick " Hill whispered in my ear,

" There is nothing else that can be done here, why do we need to extend our visit ? " Delek stated in a matter of fact way, So rude! I had thought before I noticed Malek whisper something in Delek's ear " Sorry I forget that the Tau'Ri value privacy "

" Tau'Ri ?" I queried, if this was an insult he was going to get a mouth full.

" That's what we called all from the first world, they really didn't tell you anything at all did they ? " He smiled again, he was fast becoming annoying, one's thing for certain though, if their hearing was that acute we were going to have to watch ourselves around all, especially this pain in the neck.

" One thing you need to learn about me Delek Is that I do not lie! And further more I do not take kindly to being called a liar either! " I seemed to had taken the wind completely out of his sails, I don't thing that he was accustomed to being spoken to in such a fashion but I had gone past caring at that point, The rest of the walk to the gate room as General O'Neill called it was done in complete silence.

I watched the gate start to spin and the glyphs light up bright orange as they locked in place and looked on in awe as what looked like a jet of water exploded from the center then settled back into the gate, it looked like a swimming pool stood on it's end and the thought that there was another planet on the other end was mind boggling, I could feel someone watching me and instinctively searched around for my observer, I met with an amazed look on Malek's face which followed with a dazzling smile, I hadn't realised just how striking he looked, he had a rich brown coloured hair with an equally beautiful hazel coloured eyes, he wasn't what I would call skinny and he wasn't too tall to top it all off I should imagine he would be quite muscular underneath that uniform, oh how the mind wanders.

" Shall we ? " He asked me gently holding out his arm and gesturing towards the gate, I smiled a little embarrassed as I got the impression that he knew exactly what I was thinking and nodded in agreement, we started to walk up the ramp behind the guards and eventually disappeared through the gate to re-emerge on a desolate world what seemed like seconds later.

We were met by a string of people which I later understood were members of the high council and their guards, " Welcome to Toran, with a bit of luck this will be where you will be living for the next 4 years " The man said with the same strange voice that Delek and Malek had used, he introduced himself as Selmak then dipped his head, when he raised it again he introduced himself as General Jacob Carter of the American Air force, how confusing is this ? " I'll explain later " He grinned at me " First we'll let you get settled in and we'll go on from there " Now this one I did like!.

* * *

I found the tunnels cold in appearance but all the same they were beautiful!, " We grow the chambers as we need them, would you like to see your personal chambers grown? " Malek asked me, 

" I would " I had replied, what an amazing sight, all that from one little crystal, Malek was staring at me again for some reason, I think he found me interesting and I had no idea why?, I'd have to ask him, when I could get him on his own that is.

" We'll leave you to it " Selmak smiled drawing a look of disgust from Delek,

" What is his problem ? " I asked Malek when Delek had disappeared

" It would be best to leave that explanation for when the high councillor has left the base Group Captain "

" Understood " My answer seemed to shock him, I think he was expecting an argument, not that that would have done any good anyway,

" I will take my leave of you while you, uh, settle in, I will see you a little later " He turned and left me on my own in my new chambers, I put my case to once side and sat down on the slab that they had called a sleeping platform, there was a certain sound that I had picked up on, it was so relaxing that I decided to lay down and just listen, problem being I promptly went out like a light.

There it was again, that feeling that someone was watching me, it woke me with a start " I'm sorry, I did not mean to startle you " Malek was slightly embarrassed I had noticed before he had regained his composure.

"Sorry, I didn't realise that I was so tired " Truth be told I was a little embarrassed myself,

" That is quite alright Group Captain " This guy seemed to good to be true, polite, handsome and considerate,

" Louise " I corrected him,

" Excuse me ? " He had asked, I think at that point I had confused him,

" My Christian name, it's Louise " I don't think he fully understood what I had just said but again he offered me that wonderful smile.

" So, Is Malek your name? Or your hosts? " I inquired, I couldn't help it this man interested me very much,

" Mine, my hosts name is Nate " I got the feeling that he didn't like to talk about himself very much, side effect of a life of secrecy I suppose,

" Why all this secrecy, Mr Woosley was not happy that I was not allowed to see any of the paperwork involved " All this cloak and dagger behaviour had me very curious, I wanted to know exactly what was going on.

Nate came forward still waring that beautiful smile " Well, If you will come with me, Malek and I will explain everything " He offered me his hand which I accepted and jumped down off of the sleeping platform, my legs had gone to sleep and gave out from underneath me, I had never seen such a quick response from anyone as he stopped me from falling to my knees

" Pins and needles " I explained only to see a confused look come over his face " A figure of speech " I explained, " I'm not used to sleeping on concrete, uh crystal " I was slightly embarrassed at the position I was now in but I was also hypnotised by the man that held me in his arms, he started to lean closer towards me, I couldn't break away from his gaze as his lips moved closer to mine.

" Malek they are waiting for you in your office " A voice I recognised as Selmak said and I promptly woke from the trance I was in, I separated us quick smart much to the General's amusement and I'm sure I saw him wink, that in itself was enough to bring a blush to my cheeks.

" We did not mean to upset you " Nate stated with a worried tone in his voice

" I'm not upset, a little embarrassed perhaps, but not upset, I don't like my love life aired in public " I explained to a very worried looking base commander " Maybe we can continue this a little later " I smiled hopefully, I couldn't believe I was being so brazen but there was something about this man that put me at ease, I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

" We would like that very much, we really should be going " Nate smiled as he took my face in his hand and gently brushed his thumb over my cheek, he bowed his head and once again Malek assumed control.

" Lead the way " I asked and He bowed his head indicating that I should follow.

* * *

The briefing went on for the best part of 3 hours, I couldn't believe that the people on our planet were so narrow minded, we had been told of the Goa'uld and had learned that in effect the Tok'Ra were the same species but were, how do I word this?, programmed differently I suppose. Malek had told us of the near break up of the alliance and what had caused it. We all drank in his words and O.K. I understood that Earth had had a bad experience with the people but that was no reason to tar everyone with the same brush. 

We had finished the briefing just in time for the evening meal and were lead to the Tok'Ra eatery where we had been met with a warm reception, I found the people very friendly and I found myself agreeing with Malek's methods, I wondered just what would I have thought if I had been allowed to see Mr Woolsey's file, shuddering at the thought I pushed it to the back of my mind.

We were served up a strange selection of food but not unpleasant to the taste buds, the Tok'Ra chef M'asol had been absolutely pleased as punch that we liked it and went into extreme detail of how most of the Tok'Ra disliked the food and relished in telling him so, I felt so sorry for the man all that work and no gratitude. The meal had somehow tuned into a welcome party that lasted well into the morning and much to everyone's relief the next day was a free day as Malek had called it, a transition day it had also been described, I had a feeling that I was going to like it here, who knows, I might even stay.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: **The Marshall's Daughter**  
Author + Email: **Bacarditoo Not Yet**  
Rating + Type: **K+**  
Beta:  
Disclaimer: **Disclaimer: I do not own stargate, it is the possession of MGM and any other Person or Person's involved in the project along with all characters (except the one's that I have invented, they are mine.)**  
Archive:  
Notes: Feed Back is always welcomed so please tell me what you think.  
Summery: **Sam and Lantash are visiting Malek's base and after a long heart to heart both L'oritan and Sam have taken an instant dislike to Louise, is interference on the cards? ( Please note that this story is starting to link into Family Reunion, so if you've not read it it might be a good idea to go back for a look or it might get a little confusing.  
**  
Plus --  
**Original fic: Marshall's Daughter K+ Malek/Nate, Lantash/Martouf, Apollo/Daniel and our newbies as well as some old friends

* * *

**The Marshall's Daughter**

**Part II**

The party to welcome Malek's new staff went on well into the "wee small hours" as Flight Lieutenant Edwards had described it, Nate had commented that he had never seen such a party, not even in Malek's memories. Everyone was definitely more relaxed around these Tau'Ri than the usual SGC personnel, maybe this " untouched nature " worked out for the best. A couple of Revan'ec's later and Malek's mind started to wander, " How could i have been so stupid?" He asked his host as his thought's dwelled on the kiss that he had shared with the beautiful Group Captain earlier in the day, Nate wasn't helping any as his own mind wandered aswel. He had the woman picture perfect in his memory, She was a very tall 5'11" and had what both considered a perfect figure " Very well proportioned " Was how Nate had described her, her hair was waist length (When she let it down that was) and a wonderful rich blue black colour, those eyes, oh yes, those eyes were a startling electric blue, the woman was as white as the snow on the Zarcotion mountains and ...

" Will you stop?..." Malek practically screamed, he was not used to being this flustered, he knew exactly what he wanted and went for it, but this this was different, this made him him unsure, this made him feel, guilty!.

" She's been gone for over 19 years Malek, if she were alive she would have returned to us by now " Malek let out a heavy sigh, he knew Nate was right, but still something nagged at him, " I think we have had enough to drink Malek, when we start to dwell in the past it is time to stop "

" I could not agree more my friend " Malek slurred slightly and took them both off to their quarters after one last look at the woman that was confusing the hell out of him, their eyes met and she smiled at him, her face full of uncertainty as he smiled in return then turned and walked away.

The following morning came around a little too fast for Malek's liking and no amount of prodding and shoving was waking Nate " Oh well, on my own again " He grumbled, his head hurt, " damned Revan'ec" He cursed. Malek didn't mind being on his own, it gave time time to think things through, and oh how he needed to think. He strolled through the Tunnel's and was in absolutely no rush to get to his office this morning.

" Mind if I join you ? " A familiar voice asked cheerfully.

" Martouf ? What are you doing here ? "

" Can't I visit my brother-in-law ? " Martouf asked innocently. Malek had to laugh, Lantash and Martouf sounded little like a Tok'Ra these day's and more like a Tau'Ri, which had proved very useful on certain missions, he had to concede that fact.

" You have been talking to Jacob " Malek stated and ushered Martouf into his office.

" Right, in Samantha's own words, spill it " Martouf told the base commander, Malek slouched in his chair and allowed his head to fall backwards, he looked up at the ceiling as he told Martouf and Lantash everything

" I feel like I have cheated on my mates " He concluded, his story dragging his hands down over his face as he finished his sentence.

" Anastasia and A'neshe have been missing for 19 years now my brother, I don't think even they would begrudge you happiness, I do not know this woman that I have heard so much about, but if she makes you happy..."

" I only met her yesterday " Malek butted in.

" The Tau'Ri believe in love at first sight, why can't you ?, I'll leave you to your thought's my brother " Lantash smiled sympathetically before leaving Malek and Nate alone with their thoughts and almost knocked a beautiful young woman flying in the process.

" My apologies Miss " Martouf smiled then went on his way.

" No problem " The young woman replied as she steadied herself and entering Malek's office.

" Pretty " Was all Lantash said before heading towards the spawning pool to visit Malek's children.

Louise walked confidently into the office, she'd been rehearsing this big speech all morning which had ended with " I think we should keep it professional " She planted her best politician smile firmly on her face and walked confidently into the office.

Malek's heart skipped a beat as she walked up and sat in the chair apposite him, he had decided that he would make a go of it, Lantash was right, his Ana and Neshe would want him and Nate to be happy.

" Look I know you said day off but I've drawn up rota for my staff and I thought you would like to look it over " Malek took the data pad from Louise's hand and skimmed over it.

" I do not see a problem here, _O.K. Here goes _" He thought to himself, " Look I've been thinking about yesterday and..." They both said to each other in unison,

" You first " They offered in unison once more, Louise laughed nervously at the situation, this was proving a little embarrassing.

" As they say on Earth, ladies first " Malek smiled and waited patiently for her to speak, he suddenly felt like his heart had been ripped out as he heard the words " Like friends " and " Keep it professional " , the rest of what the Group Captain had to say he really didn't hear. The rest of the day he was on autopilot, going through the motions, just his luck he thought to himself.

" Well, How'd it go ? " Sam asked cheerfully when Malek walked into her chambers.

" It did not " He replied down heartedly " She wishes to remain friends " He sighed.

" Oh, that's a killer " Sam sank into her favourite chair_ " What's a matter with the woman L'oritan ? "_

" _I do not know my dear one, but we will find out, I will not see our Malek hurt in such a way "_ L'oritan was on the war path, no-one hurt her family, No-one! And Group Captain Taylor was about to find out that very fact.

" Hurry, they're gaining on us " Aldwyn yelled to his team over the staff weapon fire " Take cover " He ordered them as he dialled the first safe world he could think of. The Stargate engaged and Aldwyn ushered everyone through the gate along with the containers that they had just stolen from Ba'al's stronghold. As soon as he was sure everyone had gotten through safely he followed " Xantel, dial the base " He ordered as he emerged from the gate and started down the steps, the gate once again sprang into action as Aldwyn approached an injured member of his team " What happened ? " Aldwyn asked Xantel as he picked up the injured woman.

" A stray staff weapon blast as we came through the gate " Xantel notified the team leader tearfully " She will need a new host " He continued before his voice finally broke and the tears ran free.

" Let's go, as soon as we're back at the base, the sooner we can locate another host " Aldwyn tried to show a brave face, but inside his heart also broke in two, he watched as Xantel held the woman close and nuzzled her gently, the he followed the Captain of the Guards through.

Three whole days had passed since Malek's talk with Louise and he was still feeling miserable, " Perhaps we need to talk to her once more? " Nate offered, he too was feeling absolutely miserable, doubly so as he was feeling Malek's pain as well as his own, he hadn't realised just how lonely the both of them were. Malek sat slouched at his desk just staring of into space when L'oritan walked in

" Poor Soul " Samantha sighed, more to herself than to L'oritan, but L'oritan answered her all the same

" We need to sort this once and for all " She excused herself from Malek and Nate promising to come and see them a little later and promptly walked into one of her brothers who also seemed troubled, " It seems we are to have a day of it my friend " L'oritan sighed sadly to her host, she was fast becoming tired of this.

" What's the matter Apollo, that little rain cloud seems to be contagious " L'oritan tried to joke, noting the upset look on his face she touched his arm gently, " Come, walk with me " She smiled softly and lead him to the transport rings for a quiet walk on the surface.

" Right, get it off of our chest " The Queen ordered her younger brother.

Apollo had to laugh " After 19 years your speech still amuses me "

" We aim to please " Sam laughed, she missed her talks with this one and listened intently as Apollo told his Queen and sister what was troubling him.

" We need to send in a team to get them out " He concluded

" And so we shall dear brother, I have just the person for the job " She grinned, she had that far way look on her face that made Apollo very nervous.

" Someone's upset her " He sighed to Daniel

" Poor bastard " Daniel stated flatly, he had been on the receiving end of L'oritan's temper once and spent the best part of 3 months in the Nividian sector, he was sure it was Sam that had sorted out his little dilemma. The person or persons in question had upset the pair of them and he definitely didn't want to be in their shoes right now.

" Shouldn't we tell Malek and Nate ? " Daniel treaded lightly as he broached the subject.

" Not until we are sure " Was the very short reply, both Apollo and Daniel decided it was best to leave it for the time being, they doubted she would do anything too drastic.

Malek finished up his work for the day ending with the signing of tomorrows duties seeing as though he didn't start until a good 2 hours after the day shift started. Nate and himself had sat down earlier for a very long heart to heart and both had come to the decision that it was time to let Anastasia and A'neshe go, 19 years was more than enough time to mourn, his Queens and wives would not expect them to be on their own for the rest of their lives.

As soon as all the I's were dotted and the T's were crossed, Malek put everything tidy and left for Louise's chambers, rehearsing what he was going to say along the way, he must have looked a right sight as he walked along the tunnels chatting away to himself, but at this point, he was so nervous he had gone past caring, " By Netu, the last time I was this nervous was on our binding day " He sighed to Nate and received a confidence boosting hug in return.

" She loves us, of this I am certain, why she lied to us and herself is beyond me " Nate stated, he was more than confused by the woman's reaction, he sighed, Tau'Ri women were a breed unto themselves, both he and Malek had found that out when they had taken on for a mate, life was certainly interesting after that and had to smile as memories flooded his mind.

It didn't take long to reach the Group Captains chambers, he stood outside and took a deep breath before entering, when he did he was met with an empty room, " What's going on ? " Nate asked an equally confused Malek.

" I have no idea my friend " Was the only answer he could give. Slowly something dawned on him, L'oritian, yes, L'oritian would know exactly what was going on, he thought as his blood slowly started to boil, " How dare she " He raged and stormed off to confront his sister.

The Tok'Ra/Tau'Ri contingent exited the Stargate and walked straight into a Jaffa ambush, " Well, that's not good " Flight Lieutenant Edwards smiled through clenched teeth in a very broad welsh accent.

" That's an understatement " Daniels sighed, he had decided to tag along to keep the newbies out of trouble.

" Fat lot of good that did " Apollo laughed at the irony of the situation and suggested that they all stand down, after all, they weren't going to be able to rescue anyone if they were dead. The team slowly lowered their weapons and followed their captors to their nice uncomfortable jail cells

" _Can this day get any worse ? "_ Louise asked herself and began to wish she had pushed Malek into admitting his feeling's for her, at least she wouldn't feel so damned awful right this moment in time, _"but that would be too simple wouldn't it? "_

* * *

The Chaapa'ai started to spring to life alerting the Tok'Ra Centurion that he was about to receive guests, Mordesen ordered his regiment to take their positions and waited for the unwelcome guests to make an appearance, they didn't have to wait long. Xantel burst through the gate followed quickly by the rest of the missing team members that the Tau'Ri had gone to rescue, Aldwyn started down the steps barking orders as he made his way quickly to the Tok'Ra stronghold leaving a group of dumbstruck Tok'Ra in his wake,

" Did I just see...? " Mordesen gasped in disbelief

" I believe you did my friend " His host replied, he couldn't believe it either " After so long, they have returned " Xavier stated with a sad sigh, " They did not look at all well Mordesen "

" All will be well my friend, do not fret " The worried Symbiote reassured his host.

" You did what!?, you had no right, everything, and I mean everything! That happens on this base goes through me first, What were you thinking ?, I've not even briefed them on base procedure yet, let alone off world procedures, they should not be on active duty yet " Malek raged at a very shocked Queen, Nate tried to reason with his distressed Symbiote but Malek was to far gone to hear anything.

Martouf stayed in the background while Malek vented his steam, he had seen this coming and had tried to warn L'oritan, he had asked Sam to reason with her, " Well they will just have to learn the hard way " He had told Lantash who for once didn't argue, a sudden movement in the hallway stopped the one sided argument dead in it's tracks.

" Sarelle, sorry young one "

" That's O.K. Uncle Malek " The teenager smiled, shooting a scathing look at her mothers, " I think you best come to the healing chambers with me Uncle Malek, Aldwyn has returned with a few stasis containers, he believes they are some of the operatives that we believed had fallen, and Uncle Malek, he, well, I really think you aught to come with me" Sarelle placed her hand gently on Malek's arm, tears were visible in her eyes which caused his chest to constrict.

" _Was Louise injured?" _He thought

" Do not jump to conclusions Malek " Nate stated, but was dreading what he might find.

Xantel was waiting for them outside the healing chamber, Malek could see that he had been crying, there is now way that he would be that upset over the Group Captain, and then it dawned on Malek that the two had never even met.

" I tried, I rally did try, but..., I am so sorry Malek " The colour drained from Malek and Nate as the awful truth finally dawned on him, " She will need a new host " Xantel continued. Malek gently moved Xantel and Joshua out of his way and slowly walked into the healing chamber

" Ana, Neshe?" He asked in disbelief.


End file.
